Aston Martin to stop Virage production

18 months after everybody else, Aston realises Virage is too similar to DB9

Remember the Aston Martin Virage? Created to be Aston's best-of-both-worlds supercar, it was meant to amalgamate the long-legged GT characteristics of the DB9 with the more sporting bent of the DBS. It would split the 9 and the S on power output, and sit (conveniently) between them on price. There would be an Aston GT for everyone. Hurrah!

But there were a few mutterings that the Virage was a DB9-alike too far. Now it would appear that even Aston Martin sees the Virage as expendable. After just 18 months on sale, Virage production is to cease to make way for a facelifted, uprated DB9 (that looks like a Virage) coming out next year.

The very vivacious Virage Volante

Just 1,000 Virages have been made so, despite being based on one of Aston's most successful cars, it will remain fairly rare. All the more reason to search for a Virage in the PH Classifieds before the residual values go bonkers.

Despite the premature end to this Virage's life, the name is expected to make a return before too long. The DB- prefix is however likely to be dropped soon in a move towards full model names (see the DBS becoming the Vanquish), so perhaps there will be a second Virage resurrection in the future.

Meantime, if any PHers can think of alternative names beginning with V that might do the job without causing offence, please send them directly to AM.

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villian by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengence; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

As someone who's been obsessed with cars since I could walk.....I didn't even know of this cars existence! To me it looks just like a face-lifted DB9...And the DBS looked like a DB9 with a bodykit. I suspect this is Astons problem, Producing the same car over and over. A badge does not make a new model.

That's a shame - the Virage is by far and away the best looking VH platform Aston Martin imo. Wouldn't it have made more sense to drop the far older, plan Jane DB9 and have the Virage continue on for now?

I can't help thinking that Aston have a real problem with too many cars that look too similar and have a variation of a gas guzzling V12. I went for a test drive in a V8 Vantage a little while ago and got given the latest brochure with both V8 and V12 Vantages, DB9, DBS and Rapide. A few friends and family looked at the brochure and were utterly mystified as to the proliferation of cars that were all "the same" (their words).

Yes, many manufacturers have a 'family' look to their model ranges but Aston take it too far. Especially given that their cars have shared front and rear lights and largely identical interiors.